Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-11
REASON OR INSTINCT.
The SxoINnI RING FIAT OF A CON.
K0H ANT.
gov II Secured Spiders Captive-k
Queer illustration Of Insect
Ingenuity.

UNIltllH NATURALIST, Just send him 10
me and I'll tel him what / saw one do
the other day. aud he can't help but he
convinced. / was mp on the hill in the
Capitol crouudst on one OF the very
warm Afternoons q week or 50 ago. and
lay down ia the shade of a tree.
Presently my attention was attracted
by tie struggles OF short
lut very fat caterpillar in q web
tlat some designing spider had spun and
which spread rs gossamor meshcs be-
tween two small ehrubs. TO the branches
" each 81 which IT WAS fastened by a
number a. those almost invisible cav
ropes which the marvellous engineering
instinct OF the spider teaches II are ne
cessDiy for the safe anchorage OF its
web. The bottom of the Mlkan trap
was about three inches from tie ground.
to winch 1t WAS also made fast by guys.
THE catCrpL.ay's struggles made the
web dance and surge. but its ANCHORAGE
WIS secure. and the struggling insects
ohoits to break out OF il were in vain.
iu short time IL resigned itself to its
late and ley mohonless IN the web.
"A small oak tree spread branch
ont over where the spiders web was
auc cred 10 tie shrubs. The branch
was four OF hyc feet above the shrubs.
Extending upward from the web to the
branch OF the oak were two silken
nands They were much larger than
tit delicate threads of which the web
itself was spun, and after inspecting
.lm awhile have made up my
mind that they were intended by
.lc cunning spider for entrance and
,r to aud from his house in case he
bad business Jp I'm the tree, which he
evidently Ind, ior there was a web
im,lnr 10 TIC one on the ground shruOs
woven on one OF the branches of the
tree higher up. The spider was not at
home at this particular time, which was
Greatly TO his disadvantage, for he GER
,aiuly would have enjoyed overpowcr-
ing that plump w0rm and slpping its
uiccs. Knowing thnt his meeting with
The caterpillar when he returned would
Zee attended with interesting incidents
resolved TO wait until he came.
81 lay there, looking listlessy up at
tie leaves aud branches and patches OF
siy that here and tEorc showed through
them. when my eyes fell upon a large
wood ant moving down the trunk of the
Young oak with that feeling of appa-
rent uncertainty of thoroughiarc that
chauctcrizcs It's kind, but at the same
time throwing into It's movements an
camoa.ucss and cageTncss OF purpose
which let DO doubt i'm the mind of the
observer that it had important business
Il sGnc Kind 90 attend to. When the
ait hual,y reached the foot of the
tr,cit hurried through tine grass Ii
T,G.y toward the shrubs to which the
SPIDERS web was secured, distance
al illaps four feet from the trees
Uunl. lhe amt seemed )laye no par
Gcar cuaud that led it 10 tine spiders
web. bat when 1t got in under the
tircads of the airy trap it stopped and
pazcd with evident interest at the
fat worm Imprisoned There. The inspec-
ton took hut few seconds, bat the re-
suit was plainly a burning desire on tle
prt of the ant topossess the nutritious
worm. The ant ran fantcally to
one Of the ground st SIS of the web and
at once began to e. ur ont upon it to-
ward the captive cate. 'illar When 1t
reached tie boundary oi the spiders net
il paused, extended It's fore-legs, AMI
tlCu. evidently discovering that to en-
ter there was 20 leave hope behind,
rushed back to the ground again and
climbed up one of the supporting
shrubs. At the junction of every ono
OF the llheu mchomgos the ant
stoned 10 inspect it, and confessed the
intensity OF ,ts desire 60 appropriate the
voiA 10y making mid-air tour to the
web on every connecting strand.
at last il evidently satisfied itself
That Its object could not he attained 10y
using that shrub as a base of opera
hols. and descended - the ground and
cxpajmcntcd from the other shrub as
If had done nom the first one. When
it reached the euy-straud at the top OF
tie second shrub the ant paused. 1t
remained on one spot for some time,
turuiug Itself IN various directions, as
if surveying the surroundings and lay
inc plans for future action. 1t was
while thus looking over the field, rs |
could plainly see, that the ant made the
discovery Of the TWO strands leading
nom the web 20 the branch of the tree
above. That this was "a fact all the
suhseduent movements OF tine ant de-
monstratcd - clearly as If the insect
had been able 70 speak and tell me so.
The ants first movement after DIS
covering the two strands was to begin
what al first Thought to bo a re-
ipsuccion OF the anchOrages, but be
fore the insect had descended the
shrub hallway I saw that every guy
1ope above had been separated nom the
shrub and WAS floating loosely IN the
mir. The ant was nipping each an
cloraec from its fasteniugs on the
shrub. After removing the webs las
Jennings from one shrub the ant hurried
70 the other. and ascending 1t IN iran
tic haste, cut every guy on that side as
vel. and In few moments the wen ana
its coveted contents were swinging to
and fro in the air held aloft only by
the two strong strands from the OAK
branch. That the ant was now at work
On some systematic plan there could be
no possible doubt, but what advantage
hft IL DAlDtQ, l hNhtA III 0'A, 49,
ting the web swing free like ham
mock at the sport Of the wind?
"qhe ant was not long in answering
the question to my entire satisfaction
and utter amazement. The last moor
ipr OF the web was m sooner cut from
The last shrubthan the ant hurried back
10 the Cro1nd and started in Wild race
for the trunk OF the tree again. The
distance was soon made, andin less than
five minutes from the time the ant lett
the shrub for the tres it had assembled
The trunk and disappeared from view.
Its disappearance was only for lew
seconds. aud 10 say that the manner
and place OF it's Disappearance were
startling is but feeble state
mept. for when / saw it again it had
made it's way ont on the branch to one
Of the long strands 10 which the SPIT
dcr's web now hang suspended, and
without an instaut's hesitation pro-
ccedcd AZ once TO descend the cable.
II came down the gossamer thread de-
Gberately. head FIRST, and with as much
ease as il the cable of the spiders web
were lis natural line Of travel When
4. Al, MOI - fDrnnI at1Dff